Captains take over: Sonis, Heaps keep Summit’s playoff hopes alive in 3-0 win over Chicago

Photo Courtesy of: @fidel.fotos

Emma Regan had a straightforward answer when she was asked about Sunday's opening goal.

"Big thanks to Janine," she said. "She kind of made that goal out of nothing. But I'll take the assist for sure."

In a must-win match for their inaugural season, Denver Summit FC leaned heavily on their leadership to get the job done. Janine Sonis scored in the 8th minute and set up Lindsey Heaps in the 26th, before Heaps added a second half insurance goal to secure a vital 3-0 victory over the Chicago Stars at Martin Stadium.

On the other end of the pitch, goalkeeper Abby Smith celebrated her birthday by making four saves to lock down her 20th career NWSL shutout, becoming just the 14th player in league history to reach that milestone.

The three points keep Denver (10-9-8) firmly in the playoff hunt heading into the final international break. With 38 points, the Summit sit in 10th place, two points behind Seattle (40) and four points back of North Carolina (42), who currently occupy the eighth and final playoff spot. With three games remaining, Denver can reach a maximum of 47 points.

A clinical first half

Playing on turf along the blustery shores of Lake Michigan, Denver didn't need long to adjust to the conditions. Regan noted the team needed an extra moment in warmups to acclimate to the wind, but that team leadership made it clear before kickoff that the elements were not an excuse for poor performance.

That mindset paid off immediately. In the 8th minute, Regan found Sonis, who unleashed a strike from well outside the box that beat Chicago keeper Katie Atkinson. The strike was Denver’s earliest goal of the season and their 10th from outside the penalty area this year—the most in the league, tying the NWSL single-season record held by the 2016 Orlando Pride and 2014 Washington Spirit.

For her part, Smith noted that anyone watching Summit training sessions wouldn't be surprised by the highlight-reel finish. "There's always a situation where Janine's shooting in training," she said. "Thankfully I've seen it a couple of times."

It's hard to overstate the breakout season Sonis is having. Operating primarily out of the left back position, she now has 12 goals on the year, tying her for fourth in the league's Golden Boot race. To put that in perspective: Sonis had 17 total goal contributions across her previous four NWSL seasons combined; she has 18 in 26 games this year. Against Chicago, she led the team with 98 touches, four shots, and five crosses.

"She's an amazing leader and she's having like the season of her life," Regan said of her teammate. "Hopefully that continues with Canada and maybe I'll set her up for another couple goals."

Sonis turned playmaker in the 26th minute, feeding Heaps to double the lead before halftime. It marked the third time in Denver's last five matches that both co-captains scored. When both find the back of the net, the Summit are unbeaten (3-0-2).

Closing it out

Following a 4-1 collapse against Kansas City earlier in the week, head coach Nick Cushing challenged his team to bring high energy and dominate the transitions. Denver delivered exactly that in the second half, holding Chicago to a season-low 0.37 expected goals while dominating possession (61.9%) and completing a season-high 464 passes.

The defensive effort was anchored by ironwoman Kaleigh Kurtz, who played the full 90 minutes in her 140th consecutive start, extending the longest active streak in the league. The game plan was heavily focused on neutralizing Chicago's best threat, Mallory Swanson, effectively forcing her onto her weaker foot and away from the goal until she was subbed off in the 60th minute.

"We've had a lot of games where we were really striving for that [clean sheet] and it looked like we were going to get it, but we didn't quite lock it down to the 90th minute," Regan said. "So it was really nice to do that today."

Cushing’s squad finally put the game out of reach in the 76th minute. Yazmeen Ryan, who led the team with four chances created, sparked a transition sequence that found Heaps. The captain's initial shot was deflected, but she buried her own rebound to seal the victory.

It was Heaps' first brace since September 2018, and it underscored exactly why Denver brought the Colorado native home mid-season. Since her July debut, Heaps has scored five goals and tallied three assists in just 10 games. She is leading the team with 0.54 goals per 90 minutes, and Denver is averaging an impressive 1.8 points per game when she plays, compared to 1.18 points per game without her.

The midfield battle driving that offensive production has become highly competitive. Regan, who completed an excellent 55 of 61 passes on Sunday, has started all eight matches since late August, effectively taking Devin Lynch's spot. Regan noted that the midfield unit of herself, Delanie Sheehan, Heaps, and Natasha Flint works well because they successfully overload the space, allowing playmakers like Ryan and Yuzuki Yamamoto to generate high offensive volume.

Cushing acknowledged that picking the starting eleven is currently the toughest part of his job, with players like Lynch, Melissa Kössler, and Olivia Thomas constantly pushing for minutes. "People are putting me under pressure to get in the team at the moment," Cushing said. "And that is the trait of a winning team."

A historic inaugural campaign

Even if Denver misses the postseason, they have already cemented a historically great first year. Their 38 points tie the 2013 Portland Thorns for the second-most points by an expansion club in NWSL history, trailing only the 2017 North Carolina Courage (49 points). They are just the sixth expansion club to hit double-digit wins.

Their high-octane attack is rewriting records, as well. Denver has scored 45 goals from 11 different scorers across 27 matches, an average of 1.67 per game. If they maintain that pace, they will break the modern expansion record of 1.58 set by the Courage. They are also the first team in league history to have four different players record five or more goals in an inaugural season.

But the players aren't settling for moral victories.

Denver's maximum point total is 47 if they win out. To sneak above the playoff line, they need Seattle to drop points in their final stretch, and they need North Carolina to stumble. "It makes a massive difference for us to be honest when we just focus on ourselves," Smith said regarding the scoreboard watching.

The NWSL now enters a 13-day international break, with six Summit players—including Heaps, Sonis, and Regan—departing for national team duty. When the league returns, Denver will host Angel City on Oct. 17 at Centennial Stadium, followed by a home tilt against Racing Louisville. They close the regular season on Nov. 1 on the road against North Carolina—a matchup that could very well decide the final postseason spot.

"The difference between the Chicago game and the Bay game at home was that we were ruthless and we had high standards," Cushing said. "And we did the basics really well."